12 Internal Assault

This is the interior of a colossal organism.

Jin advances the frame deeper into its core, carrying faint sentiment and greater vigilance.

No map exists.

The path may be wrong; an assault conducted while searching for the way.

Such immense size.

The assault frame’s ability to penetrate was predicted—this much is understandable.

In reality, the ether circulation system of the enlarged queen-type organisms scaled proportionally with their size.

For the original queen, at the extreme of this scale, penetration might be considered feasible.

It might be considered feasible—but Jin finds it questionable to plan an operation based on that assumption.

Yet now, truly inside, the feeling is like a fish swallowed whole by a whale.

He recalls the scene from the aquarium show he attended with Mio, and finds himself sympathizing with the fish.

He might end up weeping, identifying with the fish, if he ever sees that show again.

"Keep all units recording. Don’t forget to deploy the relay nodes."

"Understood."

A standard directive repeated during pre-operation briefings.

The critical objective of this operation is to map the internal structure as quickly as possible and reach the processor—then destroy it.

The total number of processors remains unknown.

The route is equally unknown.

Information is paramount.

And that information must all be gathered and shared on-site.

Mapping data cannot be deployed—the interior structure resembles a winding labyrinth, rendering communication impossible.

Ether communication offers many advantages.

Yet it carries a distinct drawback.

Due to its reliance on the ether, high-power ether fields disrupt signal integrity.

Given the necessity of traversing the ether circulation system, it is safer to assume ether communication will be unavailable.

Thus, communication here reverts to conventional radio waves.

Slower than faster-than-light ether communication, but the difference is imperceptible at distances under a thousand kilometers.

Obstacles are numerous, so relay stations are placed intermittently to establish a stable connection.

"Next, we wait to see what emerges..."

As with the path ahead, the nature of what lies within remains unknown.

More precisely, the intent behind whatever emerges is unknown.

No countermeasures were ever devised for external intruders entering from within.

No analogs to biological viruses or bacteria exist in organic lifeforms.

No lifeform has ever acted in such a manner, so evolution along those lines was a logical conclusion.

But should such a foolish act actually occur.

The changes the Queen might undergo remain entirely unpredictable.

In the end, the Third Fleet’s assault force comes to understand it is merely a screening unit tasked with gathering intelligence.

The main effort will be the coordinated assault by the three fleets, consolidating that intelligence.

This operation is a delaying tactic—designed to prevent the Third Fleet from securing a foothold.

That is how the other fleets must be thinking.

Jin fumes. Do not underestimate us.

Who do they think will be the expendable pawn?

No one among those participating in this operation intends to be slaughtered needlessly.

They are all determined to eliminate the enemy in this battle.

At each branching point, the unit splits further.

Regardless of the current corridor’s dimensions—though it is not truly a corridor—the space barely accommodates a company’s deployment.

To remain clustered would leave them immobilized, vulnerable to total annihilation.

Therefore, dispersing to find the correct path is one of the best available options under these conditions.

The thought that they were merely scattering their forces couldn’t be entirely dismissed.

“Captain. Map data is updating.”

“…More convoluted than expected.”

After ten minutes of penetration, Jin felt lightheaded from the network of pathways spread out like a web.

If ether must be delivered to every part of this massive structure, such thorough coverage is inevitable—though utterly inconvenient.

“Don’t get lost. There’s no lost-and-found here.”

Jin’s joke landed poorly.

Still, he managed to relax slightly.

A faint chuckle arose—

“! Enemy attack!”

His expression snapped taut at the lieutenant’s shout.

Ahead, a turret-like structure protruded from the wall.

As anticipated, ether projectiles erupted—

The queen had erected defensive mechanisms within her body to exterminate any fool who breached her interior.

But the number was small.

Unable to sustain even a barrage.

A makeshift construct, unmistakable in its improvisation.

Advancing forward, he fired through it with the rifle in hand, dismantling it piece by piece.

No significant structural integrity. Threat level comparable to that of a worm.

"Heh. This is a walk in the park."

One of the squad members laughed triumphantly.

It was his final words.

He failed to evade the sudden rear attack—his cockpit struck with precision.

Before he could react to the explosion of his comrade slamming into the wall, the next volley came in rapid succession.

All from behind, already past him.

And now from the newly emerged turrets ahead.

"Benjamin! Damn it. There was nothing there a second ago!"

Another squad member cursed.

The sudden strike from the passage just passed was enough to provoke surprise.

"So... this is inside him. That means weapons can sprout from anywhere..."

It made sense, when considered.

This is within the Queen's interior.

Everything here is composed of the Queen's material. Even a section already traversed may still harbor defenses.

Stopping to deal with the attack from behind—just as a turret sprouted from the side.

"Anything goes, huh!"

Another squad member, caught off guard, struck the turret down with a sudden ether dagger.

But there was no end to it.

Turrets kept emerging one after another. Each was shot down in turn, yet their number did not diminish.

"Keep moving! Forward!"

A turret was destroyed—another immediately emerged.

Engaging each one individually would be endless.

Perhaps it's better to move while fighting.

At least the sides can be ignored. Only the front and rear need attention.

The squadron, reduced by one unit as instructed by Jin, accelerates forward. But—

"Captain! A barrier ahead!"

"There's no such thing in the ether circulation system!"

"It's there, so what can we do?!"

Closer inspection reveals it is not a wall but a grid.

The opposite side is clearly visible as well.

A complete obstruction, designed solely to halt intruders.

"Prepare the Ether Cannon! Target synchronization. Destroy that grid!"

Deploying the hastily added armament now.

Without knowing the barrier's strength, delaying here would be fatal.

Total annihilation must be avoided.

"Fire!"

Before the smoke clears, impact follows.

If not destroyed, it would be a wreck—but Jin sees himself passing through.

Jin wouldn’t have been able to do this without such circumstances.

Just as he managed to extricate himself from the dire situation and exhaled, his second-in-command raised a strained voice.

“Captain. Something’s wrong. Communications—”

“Wha—”

Communications were failing one after another.

The assault team wasn’t being destroyed. The units selected here were all elite. Not easily taken out.

But the relay nodes were different.

Their structural integrity was far too weak. They didn’t move.

If intrusions had been purged internally, they would be the first target.

Without relay nodes, maintaining communication within this labyrinthine structure would be difficult.

The units still maintaining data links were likely nearby.

Information from the units moving in the opposite direction had completely ceased.

"Final synchronization data—processor count. Internal communication status of the super-large variant indicates a minimum of four, maximum of six."

"...Simultaneous attacks at six locations, then."

Jin thinks, Don't say such nonsense.

Simultaneous destruction is impossible without secure communications.

"Captain, what do we do?"

"We should fall back, don't you think?"

"Captain!"

Simultaneous destruction under unsecured communications.

And the total number of targets remains unknown.

Four would be acceptable.

But four to six—now that complicates things.

In reality, even four is uncertain—we lack the means to confirm.

We must verify every corner is clear.

And do so without communication.

This is no ordinary operation.

Retreat.

Those two characters pass through his mind.